Suction cleaner



May 5, 1942. F. L. PIERCE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Frank 1. Pierce ATTORN EY May 5, 1942..

F. L. PIERCE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Frank L. Pi erae ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATESv PATENT. OFFICE SUCTION CLEANER Frank L. Pierce, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,491

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements-in suction cleaners and more particularly to an improved design for suction cleaners, wherein the operative and purely utilitarian parts of thethe otherwise substantially completed cleaner within a light ornamental housing serving pri marily to enhance the appearance oLthe cleaner and secondarily, as a sound-deadening enclosure calculated to substantially reduce the ordinary operating noises.

A preferred embodiment .of this novel cleaner design has been disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general view of the cleaner in side.

elevation for the most part, but with the outer appearance housing in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cleaner as viewed from above, with a section of the domelike motor housing removed to show the arrangement beneath; and

Figure 3 is a perspective View following somewhat that of Figure 2 but with the appearance housing displaced immediately above the main body of the cleaner,

Apart from the particular arrangement of the various parts and elements that make up the cleaner, the one herein disclosed is typical of any standard portable suction cleaner and consists generally of a suction-creating unit including'a fan chamber i, a motor 2 superimposed upon said fan chamber and having direct driving connection with the fan I a mounted within said fan chamber and a nozzle 3 consisting of a transversely elongated casing extending across the front of the fan chamber and having the usual downwardly opening suction mouth. The

let connection 5 to which is removably clamped the inlet end of" a dirt bag 6.

Located immediately forward of the outlet connection 5 from the fan chamber is'mounted the cleaner handle I having pivotal mounting at its lower end upon an upright supporting bracket 8 secured to the top wall of the exhaust passage from the fan chamber.

v The motor 2, as designed for the particular cleaner herein disclosed, is arranged vertically with its armature and field enclosed within a sectional but otherwise solid or imperforate frame 9, except for horizontal slots 9a along either side and a forwardly directedlopening, at its upper end having the general form of a downwardly and forwardly inclined channel 9b. Also,

forming an integral part'of .the motor casing 9 and extending forwardly over the central portion of the nozzle casing 3 is a block' In forming the base for a lamp ll' supported upright in a socket Ila positioned just in front of the motor. This lamp, as will later be seen, is intended to illuminate the floor surface immediately ahead of the cleaner, a feature that is, quite common in this type of suction cleaner.

However, it may be pointed out at this time that the lamp ll is enclosed within a separate chamber formed in part by the appearance housing and furthermore, that air for ventilating and cooling the motor enters the motor frame through the slots So at its base and is then discharged from the port 91) at the upper end of the motor frame 9, passes through the lamp chamber and thence is discharged downwardly 'through a group of vertically arranged fan-shaped slots Illa in the lamp base it) and thence through a discharge passage 12 located immediately below and finally, to the atmosphere through a pair.

of laterally opening ports [3, Hi just forwardly of the fan chamber, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3.

This completes the general cleaner body assembly, except to identify the pairs of front and rear supporting wheels l4, l4 and l5, l5, re-.

spectively, the former being journalled at the ends of rearwardly extending horizontal arms !6, I6 formed integral with the rear wall of the nozzle casing 3, as clearly shown in Figure l, and the rear Wheels l5, l5 journalled on a depending bracket i'l fixed to the underside of the fan'cham her i just forwardly of the flanged outlet connection 5. Also, there is preferably mounted within the nozzle chamber, a rotating agitator or carpet contacting member IB having operative connection with the motor 2 through a driving belt I9 and a pulley carried at the lower end of the motor shaft (not shown).

Referring now to the outer appearance housing 20, the same consists of a light shell-like en= closure preferably molded of Bakelite or other plastic substance in one piece and consisting of a lower or body section 20a and a dome-like hood section 20b. The lower section 20a of the housing is relatively shallow with a flat top surface curving downwardly to form skirt-like marginal portions extending in straight lines around the forward portion and curving inwardly along the sides and toward the rear end of the housing.

The dome-like top section 2% follows some what the same general contour of the lower section, being somewhat narrower at its rear end than at its forward end. In short, in its general lines the housing inclines toward the so-called stream-lined effect. At the rear end of the dome portion 20b is a U-shaped slot or cut-out portion 21 through which the handle projects as clearly shown in Figure 2, and at the sides and along the base thereof is a pair of slots 22 through which the air enters for ventilating the motor. At the front end of the dome 20b is a window opening 23 preferably closed by means of a transparent panel, this being the window for the lamp I I mounted immediately behind it.

Now, covering the inner surface of the appearance housing 20 and more particularly the motor enclosing dome portion 20?) thereof, is a layer of sound-absorbing material 24, of any suitable substance such as sponge rubber cemented to the surface. This sound-absorbing lining preferably extends throughout the entire inner surface of the housing 20, although it may be confined to definitely prescribed areas. In short, the treatment 'of the housing for sound reduction would be a matter of determining the limits beyond which. little of no additional advantage would be gained by extending the area lined with the sound-absorbing material.

In any case, the appearance housing 20 is fashioned to fit snugly upon and around the body of the cleaner including the nozzle casing 3, as well as the spaces along the sides of the fan chamber including those occupied by the wheels. However, the housing does not extend beyond the flanged outlet connection 5, but terminates in abutting contact with the upper portion thereof,

- leaving said flanged connection exposed for the attachment of the dirt bag 8.

As a convenient way of anchoring the appear ance housing in place after it has been properly seated upon the main body of the cleaner, there is provided on the forward face of the flanged outlet connection a pair of short tapered pins 25, 25, one on either side of the handle supporting bracket 8, asshown in Figure 3. And in the rear wall of the dome portion 20b of the appearance housing is a corresponding pair of holes or sockets adapted to register with these pins and thereby anchor the rear end of the housing securely in place. sorted through the forward edge of the appearance housing adjacent the outer ends thereof, said screws being anchored in the front wall of the nozzle casing 3, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

In connection with the seating of the appearance housing upon the main frame or the main body of the cleaner, it will be noted that there is provided around the lower edge of the nozzle Finally, screws 26, 26 are inthe lower front edge portion of the housing 20 is a protecting strip of rubber Zll riveted at intervals and forming the usual furniture guard or bumper.

It will be seen that even with the so-called' appearance housing removed, the cleaner is fully operative in every respect and particularly in its ability to clean carpets effectively. To be sure, the head lamp l I -would not function effectively for illuminating the floor, and the motor ventilating air would be discharged directly from the top of the motor, but yet the cooling of the motor would not be effected and after all, illumination of the carpet surface in front of the cleaner is not entirely essential for effective cleaning.

In anycase, there are definite structural advantages in a design which permits the preliminary assembly of the cleaner as a complete operative device, since it permits a greater latitude in the ornamental treatment of the finished prodnot by making it possible to conceal the entire assembly beneath a housing designed primarily for appearance, although contributing also to quietness of operation by reason of its lining of sound-absorbing material.

Having set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, but without limiting it to the specific arrangement disclosed, I claim:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a wheeled casing including a fan chamber and a nozzle extending transversely across the front end of said casing and communicating with said fan chamher, a motor mounted upon said casing and driving a fan mounted in said fan chamber, and a one-piece housing of relatively light material adapted to extend over said casing with a portion enclosing said motor and a portion extending laterally and downwardly along the sides of said casing and forwardly and downwardly in contact with the outer surface of said nozzle with its lower edges flush with a marginal flange around the lower edge of said nozzle.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a wheeled casing-having a fan chamber and a nozzle extending transversely across the forward end of said casing and communicating with said fan chamber. a motor mounted on said casing for driving a fan in said fan chamber, a handle pivotally mounted on the top side of said casing rear wardly of said motor, and a housing of relatively light material adapted to fit over said casing and having a dome-like central portion enclosing said motor and handle mounting and seating around the base of said motor, skirt-like portions extending laterally and downwardly along the sides of said casing and a nozzle-enclosing portion seating around its lower edge upon an outwardly projecting flange around the base of said nozzle.

3. An ambulatory suction cleaner comprising a body supported on wheels and including a complete fan chamber and a complete nozzle communicating with said fan chamber, a motor mounted on said body and driving a fan in said chamber, said foregoing structure comprising an operative cleaner, a pre-formed rigid contoured housing removably attached to and enclosing said body and embracing the latter to enclose said motor in spaced relation and being contiguous menses with a wall of saidnozzle, a vertical wall of said housing extending rearwardly from the sides oi said nozzle to form skirts which substantially enclose, when viewed from above, the supporting wheels for said body, and sound-absorbing means lining the interior of said housing and disposed adjacent said nozzle wall and spaced from said.

motor.

4. An ambulatory suction cleaner comprising a -body supported on wheels and including a complete ian chamber and a complete nozzle having front and side walls rigidly attached to said body, a' complete suction passageway in said body communicating with said fan chamber, a motor mounted on said body and driving a tan in said chamber, said foregoing structure comprising an operative cleaner, and a pre-iormed rigid contoured housing removably attached to and enclosing said body and embracing the latter to enclose said motor in spaced relation and being contiguous with the front and side walls of said nomle, a vertical wall of said housing extending rearwardly from said nozzle to form skirts which substantially enclose, when viewed from above", the supporting wheels for said body.

FRANK L. PIERCE. 

